


Neutral Housing

by M_nancywheeler



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Annoyed to Lovers, College, F/M, Fluff, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2020-06-03 02:44:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19454698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M_nancywheeler/pseuds/M_nancywheeler
Summary: The truth is "gender neutral housing" sounded like a reasonable living situation to Arya when she filled her housing forms before arriving at university. That was before she met her new roommate, Gendry.





	1. Chapter 1

Neutral Housing

Chapter 1: First Days

The truth is "gender neutral housing" sounded like a reasonable living situation to Arya when she filled her housing forms before arriving at university. Her mother, Catelyn, did not approve of this quirk in the least, but she ultimately resigned herself to the consequences of sending Arya to a liberal university down south in King's Landing. Not that Arya did not made her case for the unconventional living arrangements. After all, she had four other brothers. Well, four not counting her brother Robb's best friend, Theon Greyjoy, practically living with them for years. How could that whole life experience not count for something? To Arya, those formative years meant she was both an expert in brothers and boys in general. In her observations, Arya noted that boys smelled, they made a mess, they played too much video games, and they cursed like sailors. Therefore, there was absolutely nothing about boys that could possibly phase her at that point. Arya wasn't a lady herself no matter what her mother said. Living with a boy wouldn't be an issue for her.

Arya was absolutely certain of her instinct until she arrived at her dorm for the first time. On the day she moved in with her brother Jon's help, Arya noticed the room looked more or less empty except for two twin beds and a small plain wooden desk. Atop one of the beds, she saw some old looking luggage, a worn ink stained Star Wars bed comforter, and an overstuffed black backpack. Arya assumed that the items must belong to her new roommate.

Jon followed her inside the room with some of her luggage and books. He also noticed the belongings in one half of the room. "Your roommate must be here, then. Looks like they're a guy, too, by the looks of the stuff on that bed."

Arya nodded her head in agreement. "I think so. I'm guessing he got here before we did. Don't know where he could be, though. I told you we shouldn't have got Burger King on the way over. Now we'll just have to meet him as he awkwardly finds us moving in my stuff."

For a moment, Arya bit her lip. Though she was often fearless, sometimes she could get nervous in situations where the unknown lingered. She wanted to make a positive impression on the new roommate, but there was no roommate to be found. In that case, she decided to vanish the worry from her mind. Arya had more pressing matters at hand. For instance, trying to stuff all her books and vinyl records into one small shelf. Where ever her new roommate was, it didn't matter. Arya would meet him sooner or later.

As she focused on getting on with the move, Arya threw her bedding set on the bed with not a little carelessness. Her mother insisted on going to Neiman Marcus and buying some new bedding and other dorm decor for her new room. She said that they would be suitable thing for a college girl's dorm, but Arya knew better. Arya told her mother that didn't care what she bought so long as the they were not frilly or too fancy.

To her credit, her mother did seem to listen to what Arya said because the bedding she bought was simple and tasteful. Yet, as Arya noted what her roommate left on his bed, Arya couldn't help but compare her cramped side to his sparse half. She wondered if even the subdued decor that her mother bought would look incredibly bougie next to what roommate brought to the dorm. Arya did not want to seem like she was just another rich girl at an expensive liberal arts university. If she were in his position, she would loathe her immediately on the basis of that alone. Or she would be deeply annoyed at minimum.

After all, wasn't that why she left the North? Arya thought. So she wouldn't always be stuck being Lady Stark?  
It was stupid enough they still had titles. Arya always rolled her eyes whenever her mom or sister informed anyone that they were technically ladies. That was the kind of life she was trying to get away from, but now it seemed inevitable that she would be defined by her wealth.  
Leaving prep school and going to a university across the country was supposed to give her some space from the old money assholes she knew her whole life. But maybe she was overthinking the matter. Chances were, her new room mate wouldn't even pay her any mind.

Arya cleared her head of those questions so that she could on the moving instead of all the unknown variables of her new living situation. This much she could control, after all. Right after Jon helped Arya wheel in a grey and white chaise her mother insisted on purchasing despite Arya's protests that it would make a small dorm feel even more cramped, a figure appeared at the door.

"Hello," was all the figure said.

Though the word was a greeting, the tone was far from friendly. In fact, it was downright wary. Arya noted that the figure was actually a young man dressed in a Slayer t-shirt and old, faded black almost grey jeans, and some sneakers Arya was sure had seen its best days long ago. He a was very tall guy, much taller than Jon's 5'9. The young man's hair was black and shaggy. Arya also couldn't help but notice that he was quite handsome and burly. But, in contrast to their intense serene blue color, his eyes seemed narrow as if he were sizing up Arya and Jon with a particular focus on Jon. The young man also had a fixed frown on his face that suggested some deep thought to Arya.

Despite the slight tension, Jon was the first to get up and put his out to shake. "I'm Jon Snow. And you are?"

The young man nodded his head. He looked somewhat suspicious. "I'm Gendry Waters. Are you my roommate?"

Jon shook his head and chuckled. "No, I haven't been a student in years. Not since I graduated from West Point."

Confusion set on the young man's face. That's when Arya got up to her feet, approached the young man, and stretched her hand for him to shake with her chin turned up high. "I'm Arya Stark. I'm your roommate. Jon is my older brother. He finished helping moved in my things."

Gendry looked down at her. His eyebrows were furrowed but he put out his hand to shake no matter what he was thinking.

"Nice to meet you." But his voice did not sound very pleased to Arya's ears. He took his hand away from the handshake rather quickly as well.

Arya noticed he was glancing at all the stuff she moved in. "That's a nice chair."

A small flush crept up Arya's chest. "Yeah, my mom insisted on buying it even though I told her it would make a small space more cramped. But she always says it's important to sit and contemplate our days. She's always thinking, or, rather, meditating as she says."

Great, Arya thought, now I'm babbling like an idiot.

"Did you need any help with your other stuff?" Jon asked Gendry. Arya could not help but sigh a breath of relief that her brother interrupted her babbling with a question.

Gendry looked startled by the question, however. His frown became even more pronounced. "No, I don't have any other stuff. Well, nothing other than my '98 Toyota and my laptop. My foster parents were glad to be rid of me so I only brought what I needed. I didn't want any of the furniture they had anyway."

Arya didn't know what to say to that information about her room mate's past. In her head, she wanted to say they sounded like rotten foster parents, but she didn't know if that was an appropriate thing to say to a person one only just met.

Unlike Arya, Jon seemed comfortable enough to respond amidst the brief awkward silence. "Sometimes it's better that way. I felt like that when I first went to West Point. The less you have, the less there is to hold you back."  
\-------

In hindsight, Arya thought the first day living with Gendry was not so bad. Instead, the trials of living with Gendry came along every other day that followed. Gendry was not dirty, exactly. But he was messy for sure. Also, he did not bathe as much as he should have in Arya's opinion. Not that Arya was a clean freak, but she showered at least once a day.

At first, their combined messes did not bother Arya too much because she was used to Rickon's disasters around the house. But unlike Winterfell's whole host of domestic employees assigned with cleaning and caring every inch of the great estate, the dorm did not have one single maid. There was just Arya and Gendry to do the cleaning. And neither was keen on cleaning for the other. Indeed, Gendry seemed annoyed at Arya's messes even though she noticed he left his books about the bed, dirty socks on the floor, and his chaotic notes all over their shared desk.

That did not stop him from groaning whenever Arya forgot she left a bra on the chaise.

Nor did the fact that Gendry awoke every morning at six to Motörhead albums stop him from complaining loudly when Arya did her workouts watching YouTube videos at night.

"Can you turn that shit off?" He barked from underneath the pillow he had smothered over his face for dramatic flair, Arya assumed.

Arya rolled her eyes. "Why should I?"

"Because it's annoying as fuck. It's midnight. You should be sleeping."

Perhaps he made some valid points, Arya thought, but she was on a roll with the workout at hand and he was not going to spoil the momentum for her. "But I'm the night wolf. I have terrible insomnia. That's what my father always said."

That was when Gendry threw his pillow at her, but the pillow fell right by her feet instead of hitting the intended target: her. "Well, have insomnia somewhere else. I have a biology test in the morning."

Arya picked the pillow off the floor in order to throw it right back at his head. "Oh, fuck off."

That shut him up for the night.

One thing that truly irritated Arya about Gendry above all else was how he always seemed to blush and get flustered whenever the subject of Arya's womanhood came up. He acted more like a twelve-years-old instead of a legal adult in college, Arya swore.

"I've already told you it's not right to leave your underwear hanging about the room," Gendry snapped as he entered the dorm after his morning classes. His eyes seemed determined to avoid looking at her or her things as he took a seat at the dorm desk, setting up his books and laptop.

Arya pulled away from her own History of Old Valyria notes. "Grow up. It's just a bra for fuck's sake."

"And? I don't leave out used condoms and Playboys out."

Arya hooted. Now he was really making her laugh. "Used condoms? Where's these chicks you're bringing about to the dorm? Also, no shit, grandpa, it's 2019. Everyone watches porn on their phones."

Her words made Gendry's face go a deep shade of crimson. "Shut up. You know what I meant."

Arya could only sigh. Gendry was absolutely useless and old-fashioned. "I just don't see the big deal. Didn't you ever have sisters?"  
  
Gendry continued to keep his gaze fixed upon his laptop. "No. I had some foster sisters but they never lasted. And we never shared spaces."

"Perhaps now you can get acquainted with living with a sister then."

At that, Gendry turned away from his laptop and looked at her quickly before turning back to the screen.

"You're not my sister."


	2. The Edrics

Chapter 2: The Edrics

Midterms came around sooner than either Gendry or Arya expected or wanted. Studying for these midterms, of course, meant driving each other even more insane than usual due to many sleepless nights, the mess from Gendry's instant coffee, and Arya blasting Mitski at all hours of the day to relieve stress. Now, Gendry could stand all of that with some degree of tolerance. What he could not stand were the frequent visits from Arya's new friends, Edric Storm and Edric Dayne. Gendry referred to them as “the Edrics.”

As far as Gendry was concerned, the Edrics were both assholes. Assholes in totally different ways, but assholes, nevertheless.

What did they have in common? For one, they were rich. Most of his peers were rich so that was to be expected. Even Arya was rich even though she tried to act like she wasn't. Sometimes that annoyed him, but at least she didn't show off her money like some of his classmates did when they would talk about spontaneous trips to Prague or Paris like it was a quick drive to Six Flags. Without a doubt to Gendry, Edric was typical of that lot.

Edric Storm was born to some rich politician and his rich mistress according to Arya. Not that being the subject of some old gossip made Edric humble in the slightest as far as Gendry could tell. Instead, Edric Storm took a lot pride in his family. After all, why wouldn't he? Edric benefitted from nepotism and wealth on every level. Gendry didn't care about politics, really, so everything he knew about him he learned from Arya. When Edric asked about his father, Gendry told him he never had one. Instead of making a sorrowful face like just about everyone he met a school did when confronted with this question, Edric just laughed, slapped him on the shoulder, and said, "I'm a bastard, too!" But it appeared to Gendry that being Robert Baratheon's bastard was different than being the bastard of two nobodies because Edric spent the previous summer interning at the UN before they arrived at the university. Gendry couldn't think of anything positive about being the bastard of some nameless guy from Flea Bottom. Maybe his luck could turn if his father was some political bastard, too.

The only thing Gendry knew about politics was that it was a corrupt business for liars and rich people. Science wasn't like that, he believed. Gendry could find the true answers to everything in his studies, he was certain. Numbers, measurements, and an orderly method to everything were all one needed for answers. But people were nothing like that. Especially the rich kids in his rich kid university that he got into with on his own merits but could only pay for with scholarships and some loans. Guys like Edric Storm? They didn't ever have to worry about that sort of stuff because his parents footed the bill without a second thought or any burden. Gendry couldn't imagine a life like that. He couldn't risk losing his scholarships so he stayed up as late as he could studying in addition to drinking shit instant coffee, and investing in some earplugs so he didn't have to listen to Arya's depressing music.

One evening, he was writing an essay for his English course when Arya walked in looking very stressed. She also looked pink. Very pink.

"You dyed your hair?" He asked. That was a stupid thing to point out, Gendry knew as the words came of his mouth. But it was the first thing on his mind when he saw her with her previously dark brown hair dyed a shade of baby pink.

She rolled her grey eyes to show him how little she thought of what he said. "You really are a man of observation. Does it look weird?"

Gendry shook his head to indicate that he did not think she looked weird. She looked pink, but definitely not bad. Arya always looked very pretty as far as he was concerned. Hell, the pink itself didn't make an impression on him as far as strangeness. Arya was plenty strange as it was, but, well, so was he in all likelihood. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have been the big surly kid in a poor high school who quit football after one practice session so he could spend more time working on his science projects while being mentored by his chemistry teacher, Mr. Thoros. Well, that's what he said. Truth is that he didn't belong there with all the idiots that were far too social for his liking. Even now at university, his only friends were a couple guys from his physics class and Arya.

Arya just shrugged at his answer and plopped onto her bed. She buried her head inside her pillow for a few seconds before turning over and inspecting Gendry as he tried to think of a attention grabbing way to start the essay.

"Not that I care what anyone thinks. I wanted something bright, something exciting and new."

Gendry smirked. "Could've fooled me. I thought you were going for something subtle."

Arya rolled her eyes. "Shut up, idiot. Anyways, my friend Edric is coming over to help me study for our drama class."

That made Gendry scoff. "You have to study for drama?"

"Yes, you jerk. Lines aren't learned by osmosis. We're doing a scene from 'The Tempest.'"

"Oh, I think I saw that one on Netflix. It's the one with the dragons, right?"

Before Gendry could keep teasing Arya and infuriating her in the effort, a knock was on the door. When Arya opened the door to let Edric inside the dorm, Gendry considered making a run for it before he had to deal with the both of them. After all, the library may have been open so he would have some opportunity for peace and quiet.

Arya blocked Gendry's plan when she jumped up right into Edric's arms.

"It's been too long, my lady," Edric said with his usual playful manner before he set Arya back down on her feet. Edric was tall enough to lift Arya like a doll, but he wasn't as tall he was, Gendry noted. Arya made a remark once that Edric and he had a similar appearance, but Gendry didn't see it. Edric Storm was a suave pretty boy. Gendry barely had a razor, a bar of Irish Spring, and a stick of deodorant in order to keep himself presentable.

Arya radiated as she flashed a toothy grin. "I know, right? It's been what, a whole twenty-four period since our last class?"

Edric shrugged. "Felt longer than that. Shit, your hair even changed. Very la vie en rose," then he turned to look at Gendry, "Hey, Gendry. It's been a whole two days since I've seen you. That's way too fucking long. After all, Arya's like family now so that means her roomie is mine, too. We even look like we could be brothers. But I'm the handsome one."

Gendry set his laptop in his bag as he moved from his desk to sit on his bed. There was no way he was going to get out of this room or have any concentration for studying with these two in his room.

"Really? I thought it was long enough."

The response made Edric laugh hard and loud. He mimicked Gendry by hopping onto Arya's bed. But instead of pulling out a script like Gendry thought he would, Edric pulled out a tablet from his expensive looking backpack. "You're always so droll, Ser Gendry."

Arya followed suit, sitting right next to him. She pulled her own materials out of her bag as well. "Don't be weirded out, Gendry. Edric is somewhat of a method actor. He thinks he's being very Shakespearean right now."

Edric feigned a look of shock as he pretended to slap Arya. "Thou darest speak of me in such a manner?"

Arya swung back and tipped her nose in the air. "A lady doth protest too much."

Gendry felt like he was going to gag so he grabbed his backpack and stood up from his bed. "Alright, yeah, I think I'm going to go to the library so I can write this essay."

He had more than enough lords and ladies for the night.  
\---

Just when Gendry thought that leaving his dorm room would give him some time to escape his annoying roommate and her friends, the whole world decided to intervene.

Edric Dayne was rich just like Edric Storm. That was first thing they had in common. The only other thing was their friendship with Arya Stark. Gendry was not sure what bothered him more.

Nearly every one of his peers was done with their midterms. Gendry was not so lucky. He still had one more for his core class in world history. He was looking over his class notes and study guide with great care in the cafeteria, only stopping to take a few bites out of his plate of French fries here and there. The only force to break his concentration was the sudden smack of a tray on the table on the opposite of side of where he was sitting. The noise could only be coming from Arya Stark.

Gendry took his stare off of his study materials to not only see Arya Stark sitting down across him, but Ned Dayne also taking a seat right next to her while he sipped on what looked like a smoothie to Gendry.

"Are you finally done with your midterms? I'm sick of hearing your chill trip hop playlist at 6 AM." Arya asked right before she stuffed her face with a one of the tacos from her food tray.

Gendry's face screwed up into a look of displeasure, but he was not sure if that was because Arya's sloppy eating habits or the stupid puppy dog look on Ned's Dayne's pretty boy face as he looked at Arya chew.

"Hi, Gendry," Ned Dayne said, his eyes still largely fixed on Arya.

"My last one starts at 6 in the evening, but I doubt it'll last too long," said Gendry in Arya's direction. He wanted to ignore Ned altogether.

There was no cause to be rude to Ned, however. Ned was a nice, cordial, if somewhat guy. He did not deserve a cold shoulder however that might tempt Gendry.

"Hey, Ned," was all Gendry said before going back to his notes. Maybe if he ignored them, they would go away. Such was the hope, at least.

Arya told Gendry that Edric was called Ned by his friends and family. Apparently he was named after Arya's father. Gendry wondered if all rich people knew each other. When he asked Arya, she only rolled her eyes. He figured that meant that all rich people did not actually know each other, but he could not help but shake the feeling that his gut was more right than wrong.

"It sucks that you still have a midterms. Ned and I were going to ask if you wanted to watch movies with us, but I guess you'll be busy. Suppose we'll find something else to do."

Gendry's face went red. God knows why, but they did. Instead of looking back at Arya, he stared ever harder at his notes hoping he could find some way to actually read and comprehend the text before him.

"That sounds great. You guys should definitely find something else to do." The words felt like they came out of gritted teeth for Gendry, but he was glad to have managed them anyway.  
\---  
When Gendry turned in his last miderm scantron on his professor's desk, he felt the final tidal of relief after weeks of constant studying. He practically skipped out of class in his elation. Tonight, he would relax, play some computer games, and maybe get some actual asleep. If all went well, Arya and her friends would be out of the room. Though Gendry had to admit, Arya's presence was more enjoyable than annoying as of late. Certainly, he enjoyed her more than their first weeks as roommates. The only problem was that she had a tendency to get boisterous when her friends were about. Even worse, there was something about The Edrics that really put Gendry off. They were the last guys he wanted to see in his dorm after a long fucking set of midterms.

Typically, Gendry opened the door to the dorm room and tossed his backpack on his bed. After that, he would kick off shoes and collapse on his bed. Unlike most of his peers, he was a full-time student and working part-time as a busser at the Crossroads Hotel for extra money that his scholarships or financial aid could not supply. That meant being constantly stressed and exhausted. In truth, he was lucky to even have a Friday night off. A night he could only get covered for his exam.

However, things did not go as usual when Gendry opened the door this time. No, it went horribly wrong in Gendry's opinion.  
When Gendry opened the door, he was forced to catch a glimpse of a horrifying sight. Arya and Ned Dayne were on her bed. They were making out, moaning, and half clothed. Worst of all, Gendry could distinctly see Ned's hand up Arya's hiked up plaid skirt.

"Shit, fuck, sorry. Shit. Bye," Gendry stammered before he slammed the door shut in front of him. Perhaps it would be better if he stayed in his mate, Hot Pie's dorm tonight.

Arya and Ned Dayne immediately sat up in bed. Their fevered kiss died in the shock of getting walked in on by Gendry.

"Do you think he saw anything?" Ned asked, his blonde hair in a state and his cheeks flushed bright pink.

Arya picked up her bra strap while rolling her eyes. What a stupid question ask. "Nah, Ned. Only your fingers shoved up inside me. Great. Just fucking great."  
\---  
Arya made sure the room was tidied up in the morning. Gendry had to come back eventually and she did not wanting him making any commentary about the room's state.

When he finally did return to the dorm, it was with a knock first. Arya opened the door to see Gendry standing at the door looking annoyed.

"You didn't have to knock," Arya said as she walked off back to folding her laundry on the foot of her bed.

Gendry walked inside and closed the door behind him. "Figured I'd be safe this time."

"Sorry. I told Ned to close the door, but I guess he forgot." Her face felt burning hot. She hated that, but she wouldn't be embarrassed. Not when she didn't do anything wrong in the first place.

She watched him dump his backpack on the floor right next to his bed. He rested on his back on top of the bed. Arya could see his gaze was fixed on the ceiling.

"He's an idiot. Tell your boyfriend to be careful."

The heat from Arya's face felt like it went burning through her whole body from her head to the tips of her toes. "He's not my boyfriend."

An awkward silence fell over the room for a handful of seconds. "Right. Whatever. Just be careful. Even roommates have to have boundaries."

"Okay, I get it. You don't have to be such a prude. Next time the door will be closed."

"Good," was all that Gendry replied with so Arya mimicked his answer.

Arya did not like the tension. They were stuck with each other for the year whether they liked it or not. So, she decided to break the ice. Gendry was stubborn. She was stubborn as well, but he was so stubborn it was clear to Arya that she would have to make the move towards killing the awkwardness between them at the moment.

"Do you still want watch a movie? Ned won't be here. I rented the video for 24 hours and the 24 hours isn't up."

Gendry sighed. "Fine, yeah. Put it on."

Arya grinned as she hopped over to his bed with her laptop in arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading. Feedback is appreciated. I'm very humbled by the comments and kind words so far. Hopefully, I can get the next chapter up much faster.


	3. The Modern Age

Neutral Housing Chapter 3: the modern age

Arya never properly considered what having a real boyfriend would be like. When she was in high school, she dated a few people, yes, but she wasn't really in what could be considered a relationship. As a result, Arya found herself uncertain of whatever she was with Ned. The status of their relationship was honestly a mystery to her. And it was a mystery that was only murkier as time passed. Neither of the pair made any claim to each other, that much was true. Arya definitely was not in a rush to do so, at least. On the other hand, Ned was eager to make a case for being her boyfriend.

As they were looking through the new releases in Gilly and Sam's Books and Vinyl, Ned suddenly brought up the question.

Arya nearly dropped the book she was just perusing onto the floor. "I'm sorry, but what?"

He was leaning against a shelf, looking at her very seriously with his dark blue eyes. "So am I your boyfriend or what?"

Arya placed the book back where she found it. She cleared her throat before giving a response. "Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

He smiled. A small, sheepish smile that made his cute face even more endearing. "I would. But, more than that, I want you to think about what you want. Are you ready for more?"

Arya bit her lip. "I don't really know."

She could see the disappointment wash over Ned's face before he willed another smile. "Then, friends for now?"

Arya nodded. "Friends. Well, friends with benefits. Right?"

\----  
Things were strange since her incident with Ned and Gendry in the dorm. Arya always made sure to lock the door any time she brought Ned over. For his part, Gendry was now in the habit of knocking before he entered their room. Nothing more was said of the fact that he walked in on her getting fingered. Still, Arya sensed some distance. Even more distance than what they had before as almost strangers. Now Arya kept her underwear right in the hamper and she always made sure to knock on the door as well just in case. Not that Gendry ever had anyone over. It just made sense to do so. Gendry was a grouch, but he was cute. Eventually he had to some girl in their dorm.

"Who's that?" Edric Storm said when there sounded a knock at the door. He was lounging on Arya's bed, showing her some memes and gossip that landed on this Twitter feed.

Arya rolled her eyes. "Just Gendry."

"Are you decent?" Gendry asked rather loudly.

"Yes, you idiot! Come in, already," Arya responded, willing herself not to say more than that.

Without any response, Gendry opened the door and walked inside the door room. He nodded as a greeting to Edric before he started shifting through the notebooks on his bed.

Arya could feel Edric sit up. "Hey, Prince Charming, did you get my text?"

Gendry was stuffing some of his books into his backpack. His brows were furrowed when he looked back at Edric. "Yeah, must've forgot. Been busy."

Edric shrugged. "Aren't we all? Still, you never answered the invitation. Arya's going to my Halloween party. So is her boyfriend, Ned."

Arya interrupted. "He's not my boyfriend."

One of Edric's thick, bushy eye brows raised at the declaration. "Oh, really? Well, her handsome pretty boy friend, Ned, is also going. I figured I'd extend the invitation to friends of friends. We should all be making more social connections. Also, there's going to be lots of party favors. I know the guy who knows the guy who owns the warehouse where the party's going to be hosted. He told me the parties don't get busted at least 3 times out of ten---"

Gendry pushed his messy hair out of his eyes and swung his backpack. His voice was rather rushed when he interrupted Edric. "I'll think about it. I'm not sure if I'll be working or not. Anyway, I got to go. Bye."

When Gendry left and closed the door behind him, Arya turned to Edric. He was back looking at his phone.

"Do you think Gendry is cute?" Arya asked not sure why the question was suddenly on her mind.

Edric snorted. "God no. Kissing him would be like kissing a mirror. He's not my type. Why?" His face suddenly looked very interested in the turn of conversation. "Do you think he's cute? Arya Stark, do you have the hots for your roommate?"

Arya felt a flush come on her. "No. I was just asking what you thought. I mean, I have Ned."

"I thought he wasn't your boyfriend?"

Arya avoided looking at Edric. "He's not."

"Then he's open season? You wouldn't care if some girl just came in and swooped upon him like a hawk?"

A familiar and gnawing uncertainty appeared in her gut. "I honestly don't care."  
\---  
Work was already busy when Gendry arrived for his shift. Gendry had just enough time to change before he was 10 minutes clocking into work at the Crossroads. He hoped Jeyne, one of the lead servers, wouldn't notice he was late again.

But she was right in the kitchens when he entered. Jeyne Heddle was a senior at the university. She was studying social work and seemed to like him sometimes. Other times, however, Jeyne seemed like she couldn't stand him.

Her arms were folded. "Late again, Gendry."

Gendry sighed. "Traffic was bad, sorry. I couldn't get out of class on time because of my idiot professor. Then traffic was shit."

She shook her head and sighed. "Excuses. I don't want to reprimand you, but Julio has to pick up his wife from her job. If you're late, he has to wait for you. If he's here waiting for you, his wife ends up waiting for him. We all have shifts and schedules planned for a reason. I know you're busy with school, but you need to plan better. This isn't your first tardy of the week."

"I'm sorry, really. I'll keep tardiness to a minimum for the next week."

Jeyne shook her head. "Whatever. Just get to work. Wash the dishes that are piling up in the sink, please."

Gendry exhaled as he walked over to the sink, and then mumbled to himself, "Could've been worse."  
\----  
When the restaurant closed for the night, Gendry and Jeyne were the last left. Jeyne look exhausted when she closed the doors.

"What a fucking night, right?"

Gendry walked with her to her car. "I suppose. My hands feel like they're raw from the soap."

Jeyne laughed as she took one of his palms in order to verify his claim. Gendry felt himself go warm at her touch. "My god, they are rough. I didn't do bussing when I started here. I was a hostess and then so forth and so forth."

Gendry pulled his palm away and stuffed into his pant pocket. "We all got to start off somewhere. Even grunts like me."

Jeyne looked up at him and smiled as they reached her car. "Most of all, grunts like you. Gendry, can I ask you a question?"

Gendry stood a little straighter. "Go on."

Jeyne seemed like she was uncertain of what she was about to ask but her voice was quite composed when she spoke. "I wanted to know something. Do you have any plans for Halloween?"

Gendry shrugged. He felt stupid and choked when he answered. "Not really. I got this invitation from my roommate's friend. He's having some stupid rich kid Halloween party at a warehouse---"

Jeyne's face lit up. "Edric Storm's party?"

"You know him?" Gendry felt confused. Was Jeyne rich too?

Another laugh came from Jeyne. "I do know him. He's my ex's younger brother. I want to go because I honestly always rather liked Edric. But I thought it would be better if I took a date."

The question took Gendry by surprise. He didn't even think Jeyne liked him all that much as a coworker. Let alone as a man to date. "A date? Am I supposed to be that date?"

Jeyne reached up and tapped his forehead lightly with one of her fingers. "Excellent reasoning skills, Gendry. You can say you don't want to go. That's perfectly fine, but seeing as you're already going, I think it might be fun to go together."

Gendry pondered her question for a moment. No, he didn't want to Edric's party that much. But he did find himself reluctantly warm to the idea of spending more time with Jeyne. Even if it was at Edric Storm's douchey Halloween party.

"Alright, its a date."

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if to anyone who might be following this story. This update is short and took forever. I do want to continue the story but I took the chapter limit so I can post short updates in a more timely manner. 
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments. I love them! Feedback is always appreciated. Next chapter will center around the Halloween party.


	4. Just Like Honey

Chapter 4: just like honey

Arya gathered her new detergent in a tote after she slung her full laundry bag on one shoulder. After a long stretch of midterms, with little else in between, the dorm was starting to reek of the dirty socks.

"I can take some of your stuff, too, if you want," Arya said to Gendry who was sitting on his bed, face absorbed in a novel he was supposed to speed read for a class. He look exhausted when he looked up at Arya.

Gendry's face screwed up. "You don't have to do that. I can do my own laundry."

That made Arya snort. "Doesn't look like that to me. Honestly, I'm just sick of the room smelling. I thought Robb and Theon's room at home was bad as a kid, but this is really taking the cake."

Gendry rolled his eyes. He ran his hand through his thick, messy black hair when he replied in exasperation, "Okay, I get it. Things have just been kind of hectic lately."

Arya looked at the enormous hamper next to his bed. "And that's why I'm offering. It wouldn't be be a problem. I could just take it to the laundry room with me. I'm stronger than I look. That way, you could still read your book."

The pensive look on Gendry's face suggested that he was carefully considering her offer. For a second, Arya thought he would refuse. But he surprised her. Instead being a stubborn bull as he want to do, Gendry sighed and cast aside the novel in his hand. He then jumped up off the bed, stretched out to his full height as he stood up, and then grabbed his laundry bag that was nearly spring over onto his bed.

However, what surprised Arya most is when Gendry reached over and grabbed her bag from her hand. Gendry then nodded his head towards the door. "Alright, let's go."  
\----  
The laundry room was in their dorm's third floor. Gendry was unhappy to see that the laundry room was full of students doing their loads on a Monday night.

He groaned. "Fuckin-A. Why is everyone doing their laundry tonight?"

He looked over and saw Arya shrug. Her face was frowning. "They must've been in our predicament. No one wants to do their laundry on a weekend."

That seemed clear to Gendry, but still, he would not be deterred. Even if he hated crowded spaces with his school peers, or with people in general. "Guess we need to find some available machines," Gendry said to Arya.

Unlike Gendry, Arya was quick to spot two machines right next to one another. "Right there!" Arya said with what sounded like almost glee to Gendry's ears. She then bustled forwarded in order to claim the machines before anyone else could come along. Gendry placed his laundry bag atop the machine. Arya did the same.

Gendry pulled his wallet out of his jean pocket. He had a few bills, his ATM card, a library card, and his driver's license. No change. With his luck, the machines they managed only accepted quarters.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath.

Arya looked up at him, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just forgot to bring change."

Arya furrowed her brows, her eyes moving to look at the washing machines in front of them. "They don't take card?"

"So you didn't bring any either? Okay, fine, I'll just see if I can get the operator to break some of these dollars I have for quarters. I'll be back in a minute."

When Gendry walked up to the operator, he could see the operator in question was a pale brunette snapping on bubblegum while reading a textbook. She did not seem to notice him, so Gendry coughed.

"Hello? You need help?" The girl asked as if she was thoroughly annoyed by his presence.

Gendry sighed. He was kind of annoyed by his presence in this laundry room, too, so he understood, but that didn't make him anymore inclined to be patient or nice. "I need change for those two ancient machines over there. Can you break these dollars?" Gendry asked as he pushed forward the dollars towards the operator.

The operator, whose name tag said Jeyne P, only rolled her eyes and opened her register drawer to hand over some quarters in exchange for the dollars.

Gendry felt a very very sight feeing of relief as he took the change and walked over to the washing machines where he and Arya had set their laundry bags. He paused because though he could see the bags, there was no Arya to be found. When his eyes scanned the room for his missing roommate, he found her talking to these two girls. Gendry just rolled his eyes. Arya was always getting new friends here and there. She had a life of luck and ease.

So, choosing not to go over and meet these new friends of hers, Gendry tossed his clothes into the machine, entered the quarters into the machine's slot, and put the water on a hot setting so he could get them clean in the absence of detergent.

Gendry could not help but look at Arya from the corner of his eye. Which tended to happen a lot, though he was loathe to admit it was anything but plain curiosity. Yeah, she was pretty, but she was rich girl. They could get along on a basic level, but this was their first outing together. To a laundry room so their dorm room wouldn't smell of dirty clothes. That said more than enough tho him about the state of their relationship.

To Gendry, Arya looked very pretty and animated when she spoke to the two girls, other rich girls from the looks of it. Her pink hair was now fading somewhat, but Gendry liked the effect. When Gendry tried to think of a comparison, all he could imagine were the flowers in life science books he studied while he was in high school.  
His observations on his roommate was only broken by the sudden noise next to him. Some douchey looking brown haired guy had thrown Arya's bag on the side. The noise seemed to catch Arya's attention, too.

Gendry frowned. "Hey, that machine was saved."

A haughty, know-it-all voice spilled forth from the guy's mouth. "I didn't see anyone using it. Saving machines is against the rules of the laundry room. Read the rules next time."

In no time, Arya stormed up to the guy. "You're lying! I had this saved! My bag was on it and everything."

Though Arya was small, she managed to look downright terrifying to Gendry's eyes as she stood only an inch away from the guy, her eyes glaring up at him.

The guy looked like he was going to say something, but the operator cut in from where was she was sitting down. "Leo, cut it out. Everyone knows a bag or basket is enough to save a machine. Cut it out or leave."

Leo, that was apparently this guy's name, stayed silent, but Arya was determined to stand her ground. "Fine, I'll just take another machine. It's not worth dealing with some freshman brat and her boyfriend," was all Leo said before he angrily took his bag to a machine that was suddenly available.

Arya's greys eyes lit up and she sported a toothy grin. Her happiness felt contagious. Gendry could not help but grin. The grin only lasted a second, however, because Arya, in the midst of the satisfaction, moved over to peck Gendry on the lips. The peck was friendly, Gendry knew, but it still sent a mad shock through him. He felt nearly breathless when he said, "You showed him, alright."

Arya nodded, but her eyes narrowed as she watched Leo walk away. "I hate bullies." She turned to hoist up her bag of laundry. Gendry saw her dump them all in, whites and darks. Her face looked confused when she took out a bottle of detergent from the tote bag hanging from her arm.

"What's wrong?" Gendry asked.

Arya's face went as pink as her hair. "Nothing, really, it's just---do I put in the detergent now? Or like midway through the wash?"

That confused Gendry. "Arya, have you never done laundry before?"

Her face went into defiance. "I mean, not like...no."

Gendry was surprised, but maybe that was normal for rich people. "How've you been getting your clothes clean before now?"

Her eyes looked at anything but his face. "My mother kept insisting on sending a maid service, but I told her it was embarrassing, so she stopped. I told her that it's not necessary. I could figure out laundry on my own. Worst case scenario is that I'd just ask someone in the laundry room for help."

Gendry nodded his head. Life really was different for the rich. "Okay. Makes sense. So, you just pour the detergent into that slot right there...."  
\---  
For what it was worth, Gendry was growing far less gloomy and moody as time went by. He was even getting more social in the sense that he would take her up on invitations to go out and do things. He would even engage her in conversations as they studied in their dorm.

Gendry was at the desk, erasing marks on his math practice, when Arya got a text confirming her Halloween costume would be arriving the next day.

"Don't you love Halloween?" Arya asked as she reclined on her bed.

Gendry glanced at her before going back to his problems. "Not really."

"Why not? I love Halloween. My parents always decorated the whole house in decorations, and there was always costumes and candy. Now that we're older, it's not the same, of course, but there's still costumes and candy."

Gendry only said, "I remember dressing up when I was little before my mom died. Then, it didn't seem like any of the foster parents I had were interested in taking a bunch of kids out to trick or treat. Especially not kids in middle school and above."

Arya frowned. His foster parents sounded lousy to her. "So you haven't celebrated in a while? What about his year?"

His large shoulders only shrugged. "Nope. Not for years. But maybe you'll be happy to know I'm celebrating this year. I'm going to Edric Storm's party."

That was certainly news to Arya. She felt her eyes go wide as saucers. "You are? How come you didn't tell me! I have a costume coming in and everything. You know it's a costume party, right? Are you taking anyone?"

When Gendry looked over at her, his face looked almost flushed like he was embarrassed by her probing. "Yes, I know it's a costume party. I got it covered. It's just some dumb superhero thing."

Arya wanted to more, but it didn't seem like Gendry wanted to answer her previous questions with anything more than had been said.

The notion of Gendry in a tight superhero costume made her smile. That would be quite the sight. "I look forward to seeing it, Iron Man."

If Gendry had any response, he kept it to himself. His face looked positively engrossed in his work like his whole life depended on it. Arya decided to leave him be if he wasn't in the mood to talk.

When she scrolled on her phone, a text came up. Ned.

_Ned Dayne: Hey, Arya. Babe. Can I call you that or is too soon?_

Arya cringed at the nickname. "Babe" was the kind of thing Sansa and Harry would call each other before she broke up with him and announced she was moving to LA with her former work rival, Daenerys. The gay gene was prevalent among the Starks, it seemed.

Arya considered what to type.

_Arya: You can call me by my name ;p_

_Ned Dayne: Arya Stark! I like that. It has a nice ring to it._

She rolled her eyes.

_Arya: Can I help you, sir?_

_Ned Dayne: I just wanted to see how you were doing. We haven't seen each other in a minute. Not since we were looking at vinyl._

That was true. Ever since Ned had asked for a state of the union, a confirmation on what they were to each other, Arya avoided him. In truth, that didn't make her feel good. She felt kind of rotten about it, actually. But she didn't know what else to do. He wanted her to have an answer for him, no matter what she wanted. Frankly, she didn't think any answer would please him.

_Arya: I'm doing okay. Things have just been really hectic. There's going to be auditions for Cabaret so I've been trying to get more dance and singing practice in. Singing's not my strong suit._

_Ned Dayne: Weird, I was actually going to sign onto be on stage crew for that. Get credits for my theater credit._

Arya knew Ned wanted to be a playwright so that was no surprise to her, but the notion made her stomach churn. The prospect for more awkwardness was never ending.

_Arya: Awesome. Hey Ned, can I talk to you in a bit? I'm feeling really ill._

_Ned: Ill?_

_Arya: Yeah, I think I might have to go see the nurse. Text you later._

_Ned: Ok. Get better._

Arya threw her phone beside her as she stuffed her face into a pillow and groaned. "Fuck me."

"Keep it down, will you?" Gendry said in an annoyed tone. When Arya lifted her head up from the pillow and looked at Gendry, his blue eyes oddly fixed on the phone next to her.  
\---

Halloween was not Gendry's type of holiday. Well, to be sure, no holiday was Gendry's holiday. They were all shameless marketing ploys in his opinion. Normally, he could not be fucked to celebrate Halloween. Especially when he had so much studying ahead of him for the week. He had enough work and expenses to take care of that the notion of wasting time and money for a stupid Halloween party was out of the question. But, things were different. Jeyne asked him to go with her to go to a Halloween party. He did want to go with her. On one hand, Gendry was not really sure if he liked Jeyne in that way, but he was interested in knowing her better. That was more than could be said for most people so if he had to wear a costume and go to a party thrown by a rich annoying showboat like Edric Storm, he supposed he could endure it. In the meanwhile, Gendry tried not to think about the kiss Arya gave him in the laundry room. She was friendly by nature and the kiss was meant friendly. He had a date now, and it wasn't Arya Stark. That much he had to get into his head. 

The pickings were slim when Gendry entered the superstore for a costume. He figured he could do a DIY costume he'd seen online. Clark Kent was easy, right? All he needed was some fake glasses. He already a white button up and slacks that he bought when he competed in the state finals science fair last year. Gendry figured it would work. He was tall, had black hair, and a big build. This would work. The only other choice was being a Walking Dead character or The Joker. Both prospects were out of Gendry's allotted Halloween budget. Even with only the glasses in hand, he still felt a slight sting as he left the store.  
\---  
When Arya's costume came in, she practically tore open the box. Every bit was perfect. All she needed was one wash with the brown hair dye she bought at the drugstore and she'd be Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Arya, feeling ecstatic, texted Edric Storm immediately.

She sent him a photo of her costume with the following text:

_Don't know if my tits will be big enough, but I think I'll make a fetching Lara!_

_Edric Storm xoxo: Biiitch. I love it. You'll look so good in the pix we're gonna take._

A big grin bloomed on Arya's face.

_Arya: Oh yeah? What are you going to be again?_

_Edric Storm xoxo: I already told you. I'm dressing as Superman. My ass looks too good in spandex to resist a superhero get up._

_Arya: That I believe lol. Can't wait to see. I'll see you tonight. I just gotta dye my hair first._

_Edric Storm xoxo: No problem. Kisses!_

Arya opened the box of hair dye. She slipped on the gloves. Maybe she could do it really quick in the dorm's showers without anyone noticing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of see the Halloween party as the mid point for the fic's plot so it's taking longer than expected. Here's the first half. Second half should be up soon enough. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I appreciate it so much <3 Feedback is always welcome.
> 
> My tumblr is mizznancywheeler and I sometimes post fic stuff, but I always post an absurd amount of gendrya stuff so check it out if you’re interested!


	5. Is this it

Chapter 5: is this it

When Arya walked into Edric's party, she felt nothing short of exhilarated. Despite the fact the party was in a cold warehouse, Edric Storm did no fall short of his usual extravagance. The place was dark but li up with eerie lights and the decor was gave the effect of a haunted house night club. Arya loved every bit of it. In fact, Halloween was her favorite holiday. As a small child, the candy from trick-or-treating was her foremost concern. However, now that she was older, she happily embraced the opportunity to be anything she wanted. The experience of change and newness was what she also loved about the theater as well because each night on the stage presented her a chance to embody a new facet of herself. And tonight, in this party, she was the facet of herself that was Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. 

"Arya!" A voice shouted towards her. The warehouse was loud and crowded but Arya immediately recognized the voice coming toward her. 

"Shit," Arya muttered under her breath. Spider-Man was calling out to her. Well, it seemed like Spider-man until the man calling her pulled up his mask only to reveal a charming, familiar face. 

Ned Dayne was smiling bright and wide as he made his way through a crowd. When he finally was next to her, his smile wavered for a second. 

"I've texted you earlier," he said. 

Arya felt herself flush. She had not meant to ignore him, but the day had been so busy. "Oh, I'm sorry. I must have missed it. Edric's been such a pain in the ass, and then I had some more dance practice---"

Ned shook his head. He cut her off by saying, "That's alright. I figured we'd meet up here in any case. I was just wondering if you wanted to come with me on the drive over."

Arya nodded. "Yeah, that would've made sense..."

She didn't know what else to say, but she was soon saved by a girl serving up shots from a tray. "Edric told me to bring these over to Lara Croft and Spider-man. They're on him."

Well, Arya did not need to be told what move to make next. She took two shots, ignoring the burn in her throat, and Ned followed her lead.  
\----

Gendry had been to parties. Not many, but it was not a unfamiliar place for him. Back in Maegor High, he would usually only be dragged to parties if he happened to hanging out with a girl interested in attending these social outings. Since he only ever smoked and took a beer in yards or corners, refusing to dance, or hook up in strange rooms of a stranger's house, he was rarely invited again by girls. 

So, he figured his shit luck girls had to do with his mildly anti-social behavior. Maybe that was alright in high school, but he was in college now. Gendry figured he would have to a real girlfriend and some semblance of a social life at the ripe age of eighteen. 

"You look like a buff office worker," Jeyne said as they met up at the entrance of the warehouse listed on the address Edric Storm texted him. She was dressed as some sort of sexy cowgirl with a lasso, boots, chaps, and a hat. Jeyne did not have to explain her costume to him as he needed to do for her. And everyone else, patently. 

Gendry shrugged. "Guess I kind of am. I'm Clark Kent."

Jeyne laughed so hard that her cowgirl hat nearly fell off. After she composed herself from the mirth, Jeyne said, "Oh, great. You certainly do look the part. You've even slicked back your hair. I think you ought to come into work like his. Did you spend days on this idea, or..." She broke into another laugh. 

Normally, a reaction like the one she had would have irritated him, but he found he could only laugh with her. "Definitely. I spent weeks thinking about how I could get the look down. Alright, you done laughing? Let's get into the party already."  
\----  
Arya was properly drunk by the time she ended up dancing on a makeshift bar counter. There were plenty of cheers and hoots as she did a surprisingly graceful strut and dance to the records played by the DJ. 

Of course, she had only done this in fate first place in order to get away from Ned Dayne. They had been getting along just fine, enjoying a smoke, the drinks provided by Edric Storm, and dancing on the floor. But then Ned got close. His hand wrapped around her waist so that they were so close that they could press lips. Surely, that must have been his intent because he placed a kiss on her mouth as soon as a slow paced song came over the speakers. Initially, Arya kissed him back. They were having fun, after all. But then, Ned leaned in to speak into her ear. 

"I missed you. Haven't you missed me?" He followed that question was a squeeze on one of her palms. 

Arya went silent. Her eyes were wide in a feeling that felt like part nausea and part bewilderment. Maybe it was the drink or smoke, but Arya was not sure she could give Ned any sort of answer he wanted. 

Instead of answering his questions, she said, "Hey, I'm actually so thirsty and dehydrated. We ought to go to the bar."

Ned's face looked a little confused, but he still followed Arya as she walked over to a bar counter. "Can I have a glass of water? Like a big one?"

The bartender shook his head. "We only have water bottles. Five dollars."

Arya blinked. "For a water bottle?"

The bartender rolled his eyes. "What, you can't pay for it, princess?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't be an idiot. I could pay for a lot more than one. I just think that price is absurd for a bottle of water."  
It was clear that the bartender was not moved by Arya's words. "Take it or leave it. There's people waiting in line. You've got to pay, or you could dance on the counter for a drink. Storm is footing the bill for those."

Arya quickly handed her phone to an even more confused looking Ned Dayne. Without another word, Arya hopped onto the counter while onlookers roared with enthusiasm for their new entertainment.   
\----  
"This place is so packed, " Jeyne noted as she chugged down some of her   
beer. 

He thought she was stating obvious. Gendry merely sipping on his as he tried to get used to the atmosphere of a party. He felt stiff and awkward, but Jeyne made things easier. She was rather fun to have around, he noticed. While Jeyne was not the sort to get out on the floor and dance, she did seem to enjoy herself and talk to others in an easier manner than he ever possessed. 

Yet, what troubled Gendry the most about the party was how often people patted him on the back or tried to hug him. After the fourth "My bad, wrong person. I thought you were Edric." Gendry realized they thought he was Edric Storm. 

"Fucking hell, we're nothing alike," Gendry muttered, trying his best not to be irritable. 

Jeyne looked over him as if she was inspecting something in the restaurant. "You do look like him. Sure you're not related?"

Gendry's eyes narrowed. "Fuck no. I'm an only child from a poor mom. Edric's a rich kid from the east side. I grew up down downtown." 

Jeyne took another drink. "I'm sure you're right. It's just a coincidence. Mya would've told me if she had another brother."

That was a name Gendry never heard before. "Who is Mya?"

But before Jeyne could answer, she was drowned out by the sound of a small crowd around a bar area where a girl was dancing on the counter. When Jeyne looked over, she hooted, "You go, Lara Croft!"

"Holy shit," was all Gendry could say as he realized that the girl dancing wasn't just any girl. Arya Stark was dancing on the table, clearly enjoying the attention and scooping any odd bill thrown at her. 

Jeyne looked over to him. "Do you know that girl?"

Gendry blinked. "I do. That's my dorm roommate."

Jeyne pointed her beer bottle at Arya. "This amazing party girl? That's your roommate? God, you have one of the coed rooms! They didn't have that when I started. In that case, I have to meet her."

Gendry was going to tell Jeyne that he didn't think it was a good idea for her to meet Arya, but he could not think of a reason why so his mouth stayed shut. The only reason he could think of was that he didn't want them to meet because the mere thought made Gendry feel awkward. However, that thought sent him into a different kind of confusion. Why should it be strange for his date to meet his dorm mate? 

Before Gendry could ponder too long on the thoughts, he heard Jeyne call out to Arya. 

"Hey, Lara Croft, come over here!" Jeyne said as she waved her bottle towards her and Gendry while Arya made her way off of the counter. 

Gendry felt his face grow hot as Arya's face took on a surprised look when she spotted the pair she was being beckoned towards. 

One trait that Gendry loathed about himself was how easily embarrassed he was. Being nearly inept with girls embarrassed him. Being poor embarrassed him. Being an orphan embarrassed him. He knew these aspects of his life were not technically shameful in any serious way, but he still often found himself wishing he was smooth and comfortable. Instead, his life had to be difficult no matter the situation. Unfortunately, he felt accurately aware of his lack in moments like the one he was currently trapped within. 

Arya, who looked very striking to Gendry in her Lara Croft costume, looked at him strangely when she approached. "Hey, Gendry. I didn't even know you were coming to the party. Hell, I didn't really even see you all day in the dorm."

Gendry shrugged. He didn't know what to say. "Busy. It's a cool party, isn't it?"

Jeyne cut right into the silence that followed. She extended one hand out for Arya to shake. "I'm Jeyne Heddle. I work with Gendry at The Crossroads."

Arya's face looked somewhat relieved as she took her hand away from the shake. "Oh, you guys work together? I thought you were his date or something."

Jeyne laughed. "I think we are dates for the night."

A hot flush came over Gendry's whole body. He wanted to disappear into a corner somewhere, but he felt stuck. When he looked at Arya's face, she looked like she was avoiding looking at Gendry or Jeyne. Her eyes were fixed at the crowdgoers around them.

Arya's voice was bright and bubbly when she spoke again. "Actually, I have a date, too. Ned Dayne. He's my boyfriend. And," Arya looked over her shoulder to wave over a guy in a Spider-Man costume, "He's coming right over with some drinks."

Gendry felt an overwhelming dislike as Ned Dayne approached with some beer bottles in hand. He handed one to Arya, and then used his free hand to uncover his mask. 

Arya's boyfriend, Gendry thought bitterly. No shit. 

It took all the strength that Gendry could muster not to roll his eyes when Ned said, "Figured another drink can't hurt. What's up, Gendry! Arya didn't tell me you were coming to the party."

Gendry said, "I didn't tell her, that's why. This is my date, Jeyne, by the way."

Ned smiled his stupid Colgate smile in Gendry's opinion. "Nice to meet you, Jeyne. I'm Ned." Ned said with a nod. 

Jeyne greeted him back, but Gendry no longer felt like one for pleasantries. No, he was rather interested in ending this meeting in that instant. So, with a curt, "Let's go outside for a smoke," Gendry walked off, and Jeyne followed.   
\----

Ned Dayne seemed unusually chipper to Arya as they found their way to a quiet corner. To be fair, he was often upbeat, but now it just grated on Arya because her buzz was wearing off. 

"Good to see Gendry dating, isn't it?"

Arya frowned. "Guess so. He's such a surly bastard boy. I don't know how Jenna will handle him."

"I think her name was Jeyne."

Arya decided to pound her beer. After wiping her mouth, Arya said, "Right. Jeyne. That's a nice name. Maybe Edric will buy us another round. Let's go find him."

Arya didn't wait for her new apparent boyfriend to follow her. She already knew he would.   
\-----

As the night approached 3 AM, Jeyne and Gendry decided to part ways for the night. 

"I have class at nine so I better be going. It was nice to go out with you, Gendry. I'll see you at work on Friday," she said as Gendry walked her to the subway entrance a couple blocks away from the warehouse. 

Gendry smiled. The night was kind of shit, but Jeyne wasn't one of the parts that got him down. He actually enjoyed her presence for the most part. "I liked hanging out, too. This kind of thing isn't really my scene, but it was cool to be with you."

Jeyne smiled soft and tender. Gendry wasn't really sure what to do next. Once again, he felt his lack of experience render him awkward. He wondered if he should kiss her, but he was not certain. 

But, as if she understood what he was thinking, Jeyne answered Gendry's internal conflict by kissing him on the cheek. 

"I'll be seeing you. Drive safe."

Gendry didn't think his face could be any redder. "Thanks." Was all he could say as Jeyne walked down the stairs into the station. 

Edric Storm was not hard to find in a crowd when Gendry returned to the party. Even while surrounded by gaggle of friends, Edric was the tallest of the lot, and most notably he was the only one dressed in a skin tight pleather Superman costume. 

"Oh my god, just the man I've been looking for," Edric exclaimed once he saw Gendry walking over to him. 

Gendry frowned. "Why were you looking for me?"

Edric rolled his eyes. He sighed. "Arya needs your help. Let me take you to her."

Gendry followed Edric as they left the crowd behind to a couch set inside in a designated smoking corner. There was Arya asleep on a couch. To her right, Ned was fast asleep as well. 

"They're-"

Edric finished Gendry's sentence. "Absolutely trashed. These two like to drink, but I don't think they knew how to handle what they were taking."

That was clear to Gendry. "What am I supposed to do about this?"

Edric rolled his eyes. "You're Arya's roommate. You'll have to drive her home. Ned obviously can't. His family actually lives in a townhouse near my building in Baelor so I can drop him off."

Of course, Gendry thought. These two would live in Baelor. Only the city's wealthiest lived in that neighborhood. 

Yet, even if Gendry could not help but feel annoyed at Arya, he had to help her. Gendry sighed. "Fine. I'll take her. I'm leaving now, though."

Edric moved to help Gendry but Gendry waived him off as he hoisted drunk, dead asleep Arya onto his shoulders. "I think I got her. Thanks, man." 

Edric only shrugged. "Suit yourself. You're a real superman, you know?"

"You just had to go there, didn't you?"

"Couldn't pass it up, brother."  
\----  
When Gendry woke up, he felt a throbbing headache. The afternoon light spilling in with utter vibrancy from the dorm's window did not help the situation. Gendry wasn't entirely sure how it happened but it was clear he somehow made it to his dorm after the party. 

What surprised him more was how Arya happened to end up in his bed, cuddled in his arms. They were still in costumes, he felt glad to see. As Arya turned, the daze that comes after a long night faded and all of the memories of the previous night came back to him, with both pleasure and stings. 

He remembered Jeyne kissing him on the cheek with some happiness. But he also remembered the way his stomach fell when Arya said that Ned was her boyfriend. The latter, of course, was none of his business. Still, he didn't like it. Ned was a boring rich boy. But, he thought, Ned was rich and nice and handsome. That's what most girls wanted, he supposed. The thought was reasonable to Gendry but it also made him feel a little nauseous.

As Gendry weighed his observations, he felt stirring in his arms. 

"Gendry?" Arya asked, her grey eyes were bleary. Her hair was tangled. Still, Gendry thought she looked very pretty. 

"Yeah?" Gendry asked. 

"Why are we sleeping together?"

Gendry shrugged. "You didn't want to go back to your own bed after we got back from Edric's party. You were drunk and heavy so I figured you could just stay and sleep."

Arya nodded her head until she quickly pulled away from Gendry. With a quick cat-like speed, Arya jumped out of the bed. "Oh, god, I think I'm gonna throw up."

Without further ado, Arya ran out of the dorm with her hands over her face. 

Gendry just stared at the ceiling and sighed. What the fuck had he got himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been forever! Sorry! Life and my brain got in the way.
> 
> I really hope you guys like this chapter because it was rather difficult for me to write given all the switching and conflicts/set up of the couples. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. Feedback is welcomed and life affirming, really <3


	6. Boyfriend

Neutral Housing

Chapter 6: Boyfriend 

Boyfriend 

The word was odd to think in her mind. But it was even stranger to say. Yet, Arya said it when Ned Dayne called her on the phone or she introduced him to others. 

And it's only been two weeks, she thought. 

Gendry seemed to dislike the word more than she did, however. He thought it was a real laugh that she was now paired up with Ned Dayne. Arya didn't think it was so funny, but that was the only reason she could divine from his ever heightened bitchy attitude whenever Ned was brought up. 

  
"Ned's coming over here," Arya said as she sat at her laptop, reading over the class discussions. 

"Your boyfriend. Alright, then, I'm going," Gendry replied with a tone that suggested this news was some great inconvenience for him. 

Arya rolled her eyes. "You don't have to go. We're just going to study."

Gendry snorted as he pulled up his old boots. "Yeah, I bet. I got to go meet up with someone anyway."

"Oh, really? With your friend, Jeyne, right? I remember her from the party." Arya tried with all her might to focus on the words on her laptop screen, but she couldn't seem to focus. 

When she looked back at Gendry, he was zipping up his too-small hoodie. His face look confused. "I'm surprised you remember Jeyne."

Arya flushed. "I wasn't that drunk."

Gendry raised his eyebrows. "You kind of were."

"Whatever. I was just wondering," Arya bit her lip before deciding to be bold, "Are you guys dating?"

A deep red blush instantly stained Gendry's cheeks. His mouth was open for the briefest second before any answer he was about to give was interrupted by a knock on the door. Gendry was the one to open the door. 

Ned Dayne was standing at the doorway. He was blonde, handsome, and dressed in his autumn finest. 

"Hi, Gendry." Ned said as he edged inside the dorm room.   
Gendry didn't answer. He merely walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.   
\-----

Of course, Gendry didn't actually have anywhere to go when Arya told him Ned was coming over. He just didn't feel like hanging out with the happy couple this evening. Or ever really. So, he walked around campus until he got a text from Hot Pie asking if he was free to play video games in his dorm now that his dickhead of a roommate, Lommy, was gone home for the weekend. 

Gendry looked over Hot Pie's massive collection of games. They weren't really Gendry's thing, but he could deal with it for a friend. 

"Fuck, it's been nice to have the place to myself. Lommy is always complaining about this or that," Hot Pie said as he put on a favorite fantasy game of his. He handed Gendry a controller. 

Gendry definitely couldn't refute that a Lommy-free space sounded ideal to his ears as well. 

"Dorm mates are shit," Gendry responded. 

"Arya seems a lot better than Lommy. Dunno what living with a girl would be like, though."

Gendry's brows furrowed. "It's not her so much as her...boyfriend."

"What? Do they send you off on a sexile often? Is that what you're doing her instead?"

"No, you asshole. I only walked in on them once. Now...I knock twice. It's just him. He's an insufferable prick."

"You're talking about Ned Dayne, right?"

"Yeah, that pretty boy tool. What would she want with him? He's a pretty face. I guess that's what girls want."

Hot Pie laughed. "You're kidding, right?"

Gendry felt defensive. "No, I'm not kidding. What's so fucking funny?"

Hot Pie shrugged, his game avatar shooting at some rockets. "Nothing. It's just a bit like the pot calling kettle black."

That comment made Gendry frown. "You're an idiot."

"So you keep saying."

\----  
When Gendry returned to his dorm that evening, he knocked twice. There was no answer. That was a relief. So, he opened the door and walked inside to find a peacefully empty room. 

No Arya. No blond dickhead named Ned. That suited Gendry just fine. He breathed a sigh of gratitude as he shoved off his hoodie and kicked off his boots before collapsing onto bed. Sure, he had a million assignments to start on, but this wasn't the day. For once, he wanted fucking peace and quiet. 

Then his phone buzzed in his pocket. On the front screen was a notification that red Jeyne left him a message. 

Jeyne Heddle: Enjoying your evening off?

Gendry smiled. 

Gendry: It's a bit better now. How's the Crossroads?

Jeyne Heddle: It's a bit slow. I'm on my meal break and bored out of my mind. 

Gendry: Is that why you're texting me?'

Jeyne Heddle: oh ha ha. Can't just say a friendly hello?

Gendry: I guess you could.

.....

Two seconds passed without a response. Gendry wondered if said something wrong.

Jeyne Heddle: You know what would make this break a lot more interesting? 

He would take the bait. 

Gendry: What's that?

Jeyne Heddle: A dick pic. You know, between us pals. 

Gendry: You're joking, right?

Jeyne Heddle: I'm dead serious. But if you're too modest...

Gendry: Just hold on. 

Gendry had never taken a picture of his penis before. Let alone sent one to a woman. He wasn't really sure what the right way to go about it was. So he turned on the dorm's light and pulled down his jeans. Then he thought about the kind of images that got him turned him on. 

After a few quick shots, he got what he figured were decent enough photos to send Jeyne.

When he looked back at his phone, there was a new notification. 

Arya Stark: I'll be at the dorm in a bit. No Ned. We  
Gendry didn't answer with more than an "Ok." He would have to be sorted with this impromptu photoshoot quickly. He went to his camera roll and chose the most photogenic of the pictures. As he pressed select, his attention went to the text notification at the top of the screen. 

Jeyne Heddle: Where's the goods?

Without thinking, Gendry tapped send to the first contact that popped up. It only took a mortifying heartbeat later for Gendry to realize he'd sent it to Arya.   
  
Fuck.   
\----  
Arya stepped out of the uber onto the campus ground when she felt her phone vibrate with two notifications. Both were messages from Gendry. One of the messages was a typically short response from Gendry saying, "Ok." And the other, well, the other was a photo of a well endowed erect penis that Arya could only assume belonged to Gendry. 

As she absorbed the image, she was soon inundated with other messages from Gendry. 

Fuck. Sorry. That wasn't for you. Just forget it. I'm really sorry.

When Arya knocked on the dorm door, Gendry was quick to open it. He looked tall. And horribly embarrassed. 

"I'm really fucking sorry, Arya."

Arya walked inside. She cast her scarf on the edge of her bed. "It's not a big deal. I mean, you caught me with a guy's hand up my skirt so I guess we're even now.""

Though she did not know it was even possible, Gendry's face turned an even deeper shade of red. "I sent it on accident. It was meant for someone else."

Arya felt her stomach fall a bit. "Of course. Like I said, it's not a big deal. We'll just forget it unless you'd like a picture of my tits."

Gendry's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "That's not...necessary. I know you don't want me to keep apologizing."

Arya said, "I really don't."'

Gendry carried on. "But I know you have a boyfriend. I don't want to cause any lines."

She took a second to really look at him. "You haven't with me in this case at least. It was a mistake. And it doesn't matter if I have a boyfriend or not."'

That answer seemed to placate Gendry's doubts because he stopped his apologizing. Instead, he made to sit quietly on his own bed. 

There was an awkward silence that followed. Arya hated awkward silences. "Well, at least it was an impressive subject in the photo," she said.

"Glad you think so," Gendry responded with a voice that was at least half smug, half shocked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick one to keep this plot moving. Gendrya are getting closer despite the new interests on both of their parts. Hmmm.
> 
> Please leave feedback! I would like to see it!! Thank you for reading.


	7. Chapter 7

Neutral Housing   
Chapter 7: I'm just here dreaming

Gendry was finished washing his last stack of dishes before Jeyne came up to his side before the restaurant closed for the night. 

"Hey, we good?" She asked

An odd question in Gendry's point-of-view. Yeah, sure, they were good. Whatever that could possibly mean. He didn't hate Jeyne or anything if that's what being "good" was meant in this particular scenario. Still, he had to admit that things between them had taken a very swift and awkward turn. After he sent the mortifying dick shot to his dorm mate, Gendry had been too embarrassed to send anything back to Jeyne. Gendry wasn't sure if she took his silence as a rejection because since that night, not a single text from Jeyne landed in his Notification Center. 

Though he sure didn't want to, Gendry turned around from his position at the sink, and looked at Jeyne. She looked as tired as he felt these days. "Yeah, we're alright. Why?"

Her lips were pursed like she didn't like his answer much. Gendry expected her to question him, but instead, she shrugged. "I didn't mean to come on too strong. Sorry if I did."

Gendry felt a hot flush come over his face. "No, it's alright."

The look on Jeyne's face suggested that she was still unconvinced by his answers. But rather than push for another kind of response, she simply shrugged her shoulders again and grabbed a broom from the side of door. 

"I'll just sweep the dining room one more time. When you're done, we can close up." Without waiting for Gendry to respond, Jeyne left.   
\-----  
Arya was in her dorm, reading through her lines for "Cabaret" rehearsals when she heard her cellphone ring. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw "Jon" on the screen. Arya almost squealed. Her thumb couldn't answer the call fast enough to put him on FaceTime. 

"Jon! I miss you!" Arya said breathlessly.

Jon Snow laughed at her enthusiasm. "I miss you, too, Little Sister. How is university?" 

Arya felt a stupid smile form on her face. "I love it. I really do. Did I tell you that I got the lead in the freshman play?"

Jon gave one of his famous smiles. Rare and precious every time it managed to appear on his normally gloomy face. "This is the first time I'm hearing of it. I'm very proud of you, Arya. I would love to see you perform again if I'm invited."

Arya could not help but roll her eyes. "You're the first person I've invited, stupid."

Jon laughed. "That's good to know. But, I have to ask you something."

Arya sat up in her bed. "What is it?"

She heard her brother sigh. His face suddenly looked very serious. "I admit. I called you for a reason. Something happened to Robb."

A wave of nausea fell over Arya. "What do you mean? Is he alright?"

"Don't worry, Arya. He's not hurt or anything. Yet, he's kind of done something incredibly stupid. I know you're busy with school and everything, but I'm coming down to Winterfell for thanksgiving next week. I don't know if you were planning to take a flight back home, but it would be helpful if you were there so we can soften the blow for Robb when he tells Catelyn about what's happened."

Arya was still confused. "I'm sorry, Jon, but what's happened to Robb? Why does my mom have to be told anything?"

Another sigh. Jon was the king of angst. He ran his hand through his mop of curly hair. "Arya, Robb is married."

Arya nearly dropped her phone. "What? To Roslyn Frey?"

Jon shook his head. "No, that's the problem. He sort of cheated on her. Now he's eloped with this French girl he met at a hostel."

That news took Arya for a loop. Robb had always been so...conventional? She never expected him to cheat and break up with his fellow Ivy League girlfriend, Roslyn Frey, to marry someone he just met. In a hostel of all places. Very strange. Arya was starting to think that no one was quite as she imagined. 

Arya bit her lip. She wasn't quite sure what to say to this news. "So, he's going to tell my mom about this over Thanksgiving?"

"He's definitely planning to tell Catelyn. And he will be bringing his new bride, Talisa."

"Well, to be honest, I was planning on staying over the holiday to keep at rehearsals, but I suppose I can get on a plane if it's for something serious like this."

Jon look relived. He gave her a small smile. "Arya, you're the best. I can't wait to see you."

Arya smiled back at her brother. "That's sounding like it'll be the only good part of this Thanksgiving."  
\----

When Gendry finally arrived at the dorm after a long night of work, Arya was still up. She was clearly cramming some essay out. She was dressed in sweats, a Frank Ocean t-shirt, and a her hair was in a messy pony tail on top of her head. Gendry couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked. 

"Hey, you're still up?" Gendry said after he closed the door. 

Arya only briefly looked away from her laptop. "Almost done. Just one more line to meet my page minimum. And...voila! Done! Don't at me, Professor Forel." Arya sighed dramatically as she shut off her laptop and pushed down on her bed. 

Gendry smiled a bit. Her relief was palpable even his own life was going to shit. "I can't wait to be done with the semester," Gendry said as he sat on his bed and toed off his work shoes. He didn't bother to change out of his work clothes since he felt simply too exhausted. Normally, Arya would step out so he would change and vice versa, but tonight, Gendry couldn't be fucked to ask for that courtesy. Instead, he just collapsed right atop of his bed. He stared at the ceiling, dimly lit by the dorm's lamp light. 

He could have stared at it until he fell asleep, but then Arya had to go and start talking again. 

"Gendry, what are you doing for thanksgiving?" She asked. 

Gendry felt himself frown. "Not much. I thought I'd have shifts at the Crossroads, but the owner, this weird guy, is leaving out of town for some religious retreat so I guess we're closing shop for two weeks."

"So you're not seeing family?"

"Nope. I don't really got family," Gendry turned his head to look at his dorm mate. Arya was still sitting on her bed. She was biting her lip. Gendry thought she looked even prettier than he did when he walked into the room if that was really possible given the passage of all of three minutes. 

She looked embarrassed by her question. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that. I forgot that---that--" 

"That I'm an orphan? It's okay, Arya. You can say it. Don't feel bad. I wouldn't really call any of my shit foster parents to be family. So, I guess I'll just stay at the university. It wouldn't hurt me to get some serious studying in before finals comes to kick my ass. Why, what are you doing? Going home?"

Arya nodded. "Yeah, well, I wasn't going to go back home, but then something came up."

Gendry didn't quite understand that answer. "But you have a big family, don't you? Why wouldn't you want to see them? I remember your brother. The one who came with you when we first moved into the dorms."

Arya ran a hand through her wavy dark hair. Gendry briefly wondered what it would be like to run his hand through that nest of hair. But he shook his head at the thought.

Arya gulped before she answered Gendry's question. "Well, it's been a weird couple of years for my family. A few years ago my dad of cancer."

Gendry frowned. "I'm sorry, Arya. I didn't know."

Arya shook her head. "It's fine. I don't really like to talk about that. There's better memories to talk about when it comes to my father. Anyways, yeah, his death caused a lot of rifts in my family. My sister kind of went off the rails with her politics, my brother Robb decided he'd rather not be the golden boy my mom wants him to be, Bran drops acid more often than not, Jon and my mom haven't spoken since the funeral, Rickon is, well, Rickon, and then there's me. I suppose that's why I chose a college so far from home. I had to get away."

Everything Arya said came out so quickly that Gendry needed a second to process all that was said. "That's...understandable. 

Arya snorted. "It's stupid. There's really no running away."

The only thing Gendry could do was shrug. "At least you'll get to see your home again. It'll be better than staying here in these miserable dorms when everyone else is far away. I might like the peace and quiet."

"So you're really not going to go anywhere?"

"No."

Arya looked like she was holding herself back from saying something. Gendry expected her to burst out with it any moment but she simply turned and rested her head on her pillow. He followed suit.

A quiet fell over the room after Arya turned off the lamp with a remote on the side of her bed. Rich girl shit, Gendry thought. 

Little sheep began to appear underneath Gendry's eyelids when he was rudely interrupted by the dulcet tone of Arya's voice. 

She whispered, "Gendry?"

"Yeah?" He answered. 

"Do you want to come with me to Winterfell? You know if yoy don't got anywhere better to be...I could use a friend."

Gendry pondered the question. It was the first time anyone had ever asked him on a trip. He was nearly in shock. Still, he managed to find his answer somewhere. "Um, okay, I'll go."

Arya's voice sounded unusually high pitched when she responded to Gendry with a quick, "Great. Good night."

All Gendry could wonder was why she asked him, her roommate to go with her to Winterfell instead of her idiot blond boyfriend, Ned.   
\----  
Arya was in the library when she purchased two plane tickets from King's Landing to the North. It was all said and done. No getting out of it now, she thought to herself. 

Before she could put her phone in her backpack, a notification buzzed. A text.

Jon: Have you bought your ticket?

Arya: Yes. And I'm bringing a friend. 

Jon: Oh great. More distractions. What's her name?

Arya: Not a she. 

....Jon is typing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Staying at home! Staying writing! Been a minute but this chapter was weirdly tricky because it's more of abridge to the next part of the fic. Thanks for reading! Feedback is welcome.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Just some fluff for gendryas.


End file.
